Tout ce qu'il faut savoir sur les araignées venimeuses en 15 minutes

The false widow. The false widow is Britain's most famous and most misunderstood spider. Steatoda nobilis is a real spider whose bite is very real and painful. Yet, the gap between what the British tabloids have said about it and what scientists say is astonishing. In reality, false widow bites usually cause localized pain, swelling, and sometimes nausea, but serious complications are rare. This spider owes its name to its resemblance to the black widow: its body is glossy dark brown, and its abdomen has pale cream markings that, when you squint, can resemble a skull. One documented case involves British footballer James Gray, hospitalized in 2016 after a bite attributed to a false widow. Surgery removed the infected tissue. A real case, certainly, but a notable exception.